Entries in cookbooks
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Lucky you, dear readers! What we've got here is a guest recipe and excerpt from the fantastic new book Brazilian Foodby Thiago Castanho and Luciana Bianchi.

This is a really lovely book, with photos as vibrant as what I imagine Brazil to be (having never been, it's all imagination for me!). The recipes are accessible, flavorful, and interesting--and exotic. It's a cookbook to dream on, and I think it would make a nice holiday gift!

And, well. Even if none of that intrigued you, the fact is this: the cover features rainbows.

Note: the photo and recipe in this post are used with permission from Brazilian Food by Thiago Castanho & Luciana Bianchi, Firefly Books 2014, $39.95 hardcover.

‘Bolo podre’ com calda de café e tapioca caramelizada

Tapioca pudding with coffee syrup and caramelized tapioca

This is a traditional pudding of the Amazon region. It does not contain wheat but granulated tapioca flakes, usually moistened with coconut milk. We eat it in the morning or late afternoon, but it is always accompanied by a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

1. Cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Put the seeds, bean pods, shredded coconut, and all the milks in a saucepan. Place over medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches scalding point. Discard the vanilla bean pods.

2. Put the farinha de tapioca in a large bowl, and add the hot milk mixture. Stir well. Pour the pudding batter into a generously oiled 12 x 4.-inch (30 x 11 cm) loaf pan, and refrigerate it for 3 hours, or until it is firm.

3. To make the coffee syrup, combine the rapadura and . cup (60 ml) of water in a saucepan. Heat for 2 minutes, stirring until the rapadura has dissolved. Add the coffee and remove from the heat.

4. For the caramelized tapioca, combine the farinha de tapioca and sugar in a saucepan, and heat gently, stirring constantly, to melt the sugar. Cook until the caramel is a light golden brown. Pour the mixture into a nonstick baking pan and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

5. Transfer the chilled cake to a serving board, and sprinkle with the caramelized tapioca. Serve in slices, accompanied by a drizzle of coffee syrup.

Tips from Thiago: When pouring the pudding batter into the pan, press it down gently to pack it together and prevent it from falling apart when it is removed from the pan.

I felt a shiver of excitement upon receiving a review copy of the new book Dessert Mashups by Dorothy Kern of Crazy For Crust (a site well worth checking out if you ask me). Before I even opened the book, I already loved the concept. Upon opening it, I just got more excited: s'mores cakes, cheesecake cookie dough truffles, carrot cake-coffee cake...the tasty mashups prove that if some is good, more is amazing (something I have long suspected).

In case I haven't made myself clear enough, I'll bring the point home with an excerpt from the book, for sugar cookie dough cups. This excerpt, including headnote and photo, is reprinted with permission from Ulysses Press. Thanks dudes!

Sugar Cookie Dough Cups

My father-in-law was a sugar-cookie fanatic. Every Christmas I’d make our family sugar cookies and I’d have to make him his own extra batch so he wouldn’t eat all of ours (and he would have!). Over the years I started making lots of other sugar-cookie treats, from bars to candy, to give him for every holiday and birthday. I made these in his memory, and I know that he would have loved them (and eaten them all without gaining an ounce).

Yield 12

Prep Time 45 minutes

Chill Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1⁄4 cup (1⁄2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1⁄2 cup granulated sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons whole milk

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

12 to 16 ounces vanilla-flavored melting chocolate

Sprinkles (optional)

Procedure

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the vanilla, milk, and flour.

Form the dough into a disk. Place between two sheets of waxed paper on a cutting board. Roll out to 1⁄4 inch thick. I like to peel the waxed paper off the top, then flip the dough over and peel it off the bottom after every few rolls so that it doesn’t stick. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut 24 circles of dough, rerolling as necessary. Place half the dough rounds on top of the other half, for a total of 12. Refrigerate until ready to assemble cups.

Melt the melting chocolate according to the package directions. (See Candy Dipping Tips.)

Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melting chocolate into the bottom of each liner, enough to coat the bottom. Tap the pan to settle the candy and release any air bubbles.

Place one cookie dough round in each muffin liner. Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons more melting chocolate, spreading as necessary to make sure that the two edges of chocolate meet. Tap the pan again to release air bubbles. Top with sprinkles. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. These can also be frozen.

Tip: These are a big dose of sweet! To make them more bite-size, use a mini muffin pan, with mini muffin liners and a 1-inch round cookie cutter. You can also make these with your favorite flavor of cookie dough. Just substitute 1 tablespoon of milk for each egg called for in the recipe to make an eggless cookie dough, and you can omit any leavening that is called for. Use vanilla or chocolate candy melts, depending on your cookie dough flavor.

Someone come over my house, because I feel like I could eat the whole batch!

I baked something last week from the most recent book, and man, did it ever go over well. You'll have to wait a few days for that post, because I've been busy painting cupcakes and unicorns. But in the meantime I will show you a picture of one of the cakes from the book that my friend Peabody made. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing her picture, especially since I didn't ask. But seriously, isn't this amazing?Image: Peabody

Now, if you, like me, are curious to know more about the baking prodigy behind this creative deliciousness, well, you're in luck. Because Gesine was kind enough to answer a few questions so we could all get to know her better. This should whet your appetite til I can post that recipe!

Interview with Gesine Bullock-Prado

What's the best thing to happen to you in the last 48 hours? The Dartmouth Women's Tennis team sent me a long sleeved team t-shirt to thank me for making them a cake while they were on the road, competing in LA. I was away from home too, baking in California for the Bake It publicity tour, and I was already in the groove so I pumped out a checkerboard cake to fuel them away from home. I really wasn't doing it for the cozy t-shirt, I swear.

What are your thoughts on cake for breakfast? My thoughts are,"yes please." And let's not forget that muffins, everyone's favorite morning comestible, are really just cake in paper Spanx.

Can you suggest a polite way to extract myself from conversations with people once they've said "I don't like dessert"? "I have the number of a wonderful therapist who can help you with that."

Do you have any superstitions? They usually follow along the lines of the rules of "Fight Club." So I can't talk about them.

Zombie apocalypse! You only have time to grab three objects from your home before running. What are they? The husband (I often treat him as an object because he's so pretty), the dogs (they count as a single unit and I might stuff them when they pass, so I'm counting them as objects too) and my flock of chickens and water fowl (also counting them as a single unit and see my dog answer re stuffing).

WITHOUT GOOGLING IT: what is cream of tartar, anyway? If it's a something to do with pastry AND wine, I'll likely know the answer. Cream of tartar happens to be and acid derived from a sediment left over from delicious wine fermentation, I also am a meringue fiend and am friends with all acids that help in denaturing egg whites. Do I get some wine for knowing the answer?

What quality to you most admire in a person? Kindness

What is your personal mission statement? Bake it like you mean it. I'm not kidding. I've been using it as a mantra for a kagillion years and it took me that long to realize that I could recycle it for use as a book title.

What is your favorite US city for eating? Vermont. I's not a city but our entire population doesn't match the census numbers in a NYC borough so I think it counts. I think we should rename the state Cheese City.

If you could choose any person living or dead to bake a cake or treat for, who would it be and why? Mark Twain. He loved his pie. While he was spending an extended period of time in the UK, he wrote fantastic letters to his housekeeper back in the states just listing all the pies he wanted to eat when he got back home.

What's the best gift you've ever given? A Zojirushi Fuzzy Logic rice maker along with a bundle of Japanese Pub Food cookbooks to my husband. This was a few years ago and I'm still getting great food out of him on a weekly basis.

Since you live in Vermont...can you tell me a story about creemees?They are delicious and not meant for the lactose intolerant. I tolerate lactose beautifully so my stories don't include any danger or hijinks.

If you were able to go back in time and give your 13-year old self a message, what would it be? Buy stock in Microsoft & Apple.

Now, you know I love Warren Brown and his cakes. And this is a rather pretty new book. For instance, I love the idea that this cake could be considered a brunch food, and can't stop looking at it.

But back to the biscuits.

As for Warren's recipe: I love his biscuits. When I baked them I didn't get incredible rise on them, but I am going to warrant a guess that this is largely because I was baking at a high altitude (currently in Santa Fe!).

Nonetheless, these biscuits are fo' sho' very tasty. Nice and buttery and flavorful. A nice canvas for flavored butters, sugar butter topping, or a great base for shortcake.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and place a rack in the middle position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combein the flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed.

Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add them to the flour mixture with the mixer on low speed. Continue mixing until the mixture holds together when pinched, about 30 seconds.

Drizzle in the half and half until the dough is a wet, slightly pasty mass. You may not need all the liquid.

Turn out the dough on to a floured work surface. Dust your hands well with flour. Lightly knead by hand and shape the dough into a disc 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.

With a 2 to 3 inch biscuit cutter (I used the floured rim of a drinking glass), cut as many biscuits as the dough will provide. Gently re-form any scraps into biscuits without cutting. Brish the tops with melted butter, if desired (do it!), and place them on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are lightly browned on the bottom. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before serving. Store in an airtight container and reheat in the toaster oven (or in the oven).

Not that there was a contest, of course, but I have to concede that when it comes to Most Adorable Book Ever, I think that my book now has to share the title with Sugarlicious , the newest release by Meaghan Mountford of The Decorated Cookie and Edible Crafts Gossip. I'm happy to share the title, though, because it truly is delicious, and the author is totally sweet.

Here's some info about the book:

Sugarlicious is filled with over 200 colorful pages of ideas for decorating cute and clever sweets, including cookies, marshmallows, cupcakes, cakes, cake pops, petits fours and candy clay. You’ll learn to put sweets on sticks, color icing and frosting, pipe with a decorating bag, make fondant decorations, use edible writers and icing sheets, paint and stamp with food coloring, decorate with candies and sprinkles, and so much more. Froggy cupcakes, milkshake cake pops, mustache and bow tie cookie pops, sparkly marshmallows, a lawn ornament cake and pretty painted petits fours are just a tiny sampling of what’s inside.

And here's some proof of the cuteness:

And you can win a copy, along with other awesome stuff! The prize is a copy of Sugarlicious and the prize pack (photo attached), which includes a Sugarlicious apron, hot pink oven mitt, spatula, post-it notes, and a little recipe booklet.

How do you enter? It's so easy. You just leave a comment on this post and tell me about either the cutest dessert you've ever made OR eaten! You get entered TWICE if you post a link to a recipe or photo of it!

The winner will be chosen at random next Saturday, February 18; due to shipping fees, we are only able to offer this giveaway to US and Canadian entrants. If you can't wait to see if you won, you can buy Sugarlicioushere. Good luck!

So. Your book is out. How does it feel? It's surreal. I can't imagine how new parents feel, because I was totally overwhlemed with joy holding a cookbook.

What was the hardest part about developing recipes for a book? once you get past the standard flavors, developing creative flavors that push the boundries (just enough but not too much) was a fun challenge.

I have a friend (really, I do) who doesn't like Pumpkin Pie. I know, I know. What other pies might you suggest for Thanksgiving? I agree with Morgan (read her interview here). And the savory sweet potato might work for them.

What is your personal favorite recipe in the book? Aunt Jimma's chocolate pie. Its SO freakin' good and totally worth the effort. My second favorite is Verry Berry.

If your partner, Morgan, is expanding Mini Empire to the east coast, and you have a book now, does that mean it's a Maxi-Empire now? It will always be mini and adorbale. That way no one will see it coming when we take over the world.

Any advice for people who want to pitch / write a cookbook, now that you've had the experience? It's a lot of work, and totally worth it. You have to find a balance between being emotionally invested in your project and not bursting into tears once the editor gets ahold of it and changes everything.

What's next? More cookbooks, hopefully. :) We want to write one for mini cupcakes and one for scookies.

So. Your book is out. How does it feel? It feels amazing and surreal to finally hold the book in my own hands.

What was the hardest part about developing recipes for a book? Not gaining 10 lbs from testing all the pies! Luckily we had many volunteers to sample our batches and give feedback.

I have a friend (really, I do) who doesn't like Pumpkin Pie. I know, I know. What other pies might you suggest for Thanksgiving? Bourbon pecan works wonders, and many have stated that they haven't liked Bourbon Pecan until they tried ours. Sweet potato is a good alternate as well. Otherwise, chocolate pie because chocolate is delicious at any occasion.

What is your personal favorite recipe in the book? Very berry, hands down. The first time I tried it, I exclaimed "Holy crap this is good!" Well, more like "hum mum mmm mm uh mmd " because my mouth was full, but I had to let it out.

How did Susanne become such an expert on lemon meringue?I'm intrigued by the recipe intro. Susanne is my mother, and as they say, mothers know best. I grew up with this pie and it was the only pie I liked for years.

If Morgan is expanding Mini Empire to the east coast, and you have a book now, does that mean it's a Maxi-Empire? Although our empire has reached a vast audience, our operation is still as bite-sized as our treats ;)

Any advice for people who want to pitch / write a cookbook, now that you've had the experience? We were fortunate enough to have been asked to write the cookbook, so we don't have experience with pitching. But for those who want to write, I'd say three tips: 1. Make sure you have friends who'll test your treats. 2. Failed recipes are good things. They're help you create an even better recipe. 3. Mothers and grandmothers give some of the best baking advice.

What's next? We have a few secret things in the works and possibly a mini pie kit.

In general, my thoughts are that they taste so much better when someone else makes them (especially if that someone is Pierre Herme, for instance); however, the newly-released bookLes Petits Macarons: Colorful French Confections to Make at Home might just be the book to change my mind. The recipes at first glance seem long and daunting, but really, they're just full of informative tips and are ultimately quite user-friendly. The book covers various methods of macaron-making in great detail, so you can choose your own adventure--sweet! Plus, they have all sorts of fun flavor combinations in their recipes--here follows a recipe, which is very international as it employs the Italian Meringue method of macaron-making and contains all-American bacon in the filling: Walnut Macarons with Maple Bacon Bourbon filling. As the French would say, "Le nom".

Walnut Macarons with Maple Bacon Bourbon Filling

Makes 40 macaron sandwiches

For the macarons

1 1/4 cups walnut flour

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup aged egg whites from 4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

For the filling

12 ounces bacon, sliced thinly

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed and strained orange juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon bourbon

pinch freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Place the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; pulse 4 times for 3 seconds each to combine. Scrape the bowl in between pulses with a spatula. Sift with a fine-mesh strainer onto a sheet of waxed paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.

While the egg whites are whipping, heat the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve sugar. If sugar crystals stick to the edges of the pan, use a small pastry brush dipped in water to remove them. Cook until the sugar reaches 235 F (use a candy thermometer).

When the candy reaches 235 degrees F, quickly and steadily pour the syrup down the side of the mixer bowl, with the mixer running on medium speed. Rest the lip of the saucepan on the side of the bowl so the sugar does not hit the whisk attachment and splatter all over. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form and the meringue is lukewarm and glossy, about 4 minutes. Do not overwhip the meringue or the "feet" won't form correctly (although they will still taste good, so don't fuss too much!). Turn the bowl upside down to check that you have reached the right stage: the meringue should not slip in the bowl.

Place the sifted dry ingredients into the bowl and push them toward the sides to form a well in the center of the bowl. Spoon the lukewarm meringue into the center. With a rubber spatula, stir the meringue from the center out in a circular motion, as if you were making a pasta dough. The meringue will pick up the dry ingredients from the inside to the outside of the bowl; this process should take about 1 minute.

Spoon the batter in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip (or, simply cut a 1/2 inch opening in the bag). Fill the bag halfway, leaving the rest of the meringue in the bowl while piping; cover it with plastic wrap while a batch is in the oven. If you overfill the bag, you'll not be able to squeeze it hard enough to pipe even shells. Twist the top of the bag to close.

Pipe into quarter-sized mounds, about 1/4 inch high, on a silicone or parchment-lined sheet, with 1 1/2 inches around each. Bake at 200 degrees F for about 15 minutes; increase temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 9 more minutes, or until the shells feel firm and just come off of the paper or silicone. repeat until all of the batter is used.

Once all of the macarons are baked and cooling, prepare your filling. Line a large plate with paper towels. Cook the bacon in batches in a saute pan over medium-high heat until it is crispy, 8-10 minutes. Remove the strips to the lined plate and let cool enough to handle, then chop finely.

Cook the orange juice, maple syrup, bourbon, and bacon in a wide saute pan over medium heat until warm, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure that nothing sticks to the pan. Remove from heat, and immediately spoon the filing onto 40 macaron shells, evenly dividing it. Top with another shell, twisting slightly to secure the filling, and serve warm or at room temperature.

This book totally rules. It's user-friendly, has gorgeous pictures by the folks who run the website White on Rice. My apologies for messing with their lovely photo above.

here's a sneak peek at my favorite recipe from the book so far: Chocolate Salted Caramel Lollipops!

Chocolate Salted Caramel Lollipops

Makes, like, 20.

Equipment

Lollipop molds or silicone mat and baking sheet

1-quart saucepan

Heatproof silicone spatula

2-quart saucepan

Candy Thermometer

Large spoon

Lollipop Sticks

Ingredients

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 cup cream

1 cup sugar

1.5 ounces chocolate, chopped

Flaky sea salt, for garnish

Procedure

If you don't have lollipop molds, place a silicone mat on a baking sheet.

Boil the corn syrup, butter, and kosher salt, and cream in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, caramelize the sugar over medium-high heat with a heatproof spatula in a 2-quart saucepan. When the sugar is caramelized, immediately reduce the heat to low, and add the cream mixture, scraping the pan. Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture is smooth. Add the chocolate. Cook to 274 degrees F, stirring slowly but constantly.

Remove from heat and quickly drop the syrup from the tip of a large spoon into the cavities of the lollipop molds, if using. Alternatively, drop the syrup onto the silicone mat so that it forms 2-inch discs, placed to lave space for the sticks. Place a lollipop stick in the center of each disc, and twist it 180 degrees so that it is fully covered by the syrup. Sprinkle the coarse salt on top, crushing it between your fingers as you sprinkle it so it is not too jagged. Let cool completely. Peel off the lollipops, and store in an airtight container.

I will tell you the truth. When I first encountered the recipe for Carnival Cookies in the lovely and amazing cookbook Super Natural Every Day: Well-loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen by Heidi Swanson, the first thing that captured my attention was the name. Carnivals are fun! But as I scanned the ingredients, I became alarmed: "these sound sort of healthy." But then, the more I lingered on the entire list, I thought "gosh, these sound fairly delicious, in spite of some alarmingly healthy-sounding ingredients!".

And you know what? I was rewarded when I tried them out in my own kitchen. They tasted vaguely granola-y, but not in a bad way. In a decadent way. But...here's the thing. (Duh) I forgot to photograph these beauties before bringing them to an event, but you can find some pretty pictures here.

Carnival Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups well-mashed bananas

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup barely warmed (not solid) extra-virgin coconut oil

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup almond meal

1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

2/3 cup shelled whole peanuts

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups popped corn

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 with racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the oats, almond meal, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until combined. Fold in the chocolate, then the peanuts, and lastly the popped corn. The dough is looser than a standard cookie dough, but don't worry.

Firmly shape balls with your hands, about 1 heaping tablespoon each, and place them about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake 14-17 minutes, swapping the baking sheets from top to bottom once along the way, until the bottoms are deeply golden. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack. Makes 24 cookies.